I'm sure everyone is absolutely thrilled and enthusiastically awaiting my grandiose story about the dreaded torn ACL. It's an elitist club that only top athletes and unsafe idiots get to be a part of. Which category am I in? You decide.
Regardless, I will fancy you with my saturating and exciting journey to get you up to date with my latest and greatest failed knee. If you're lucky, you'll become enthralled with my tale and stay up to date on my future days as a recovering full-ligamented human.
This will be my 3rd knee surgery since 2011. After being a competitive basketball player, soccer player, and runner for 19+ years, my body decided to royally screw with me during my adult years. Very clever, life. You got me. The first tear? Recreational co-ed soccer. No one touched me. But I had the prettiest upper-V goal that the soccer gods rightfully decided that goal would, in fact, be the best shot of my career. So they ended me there. I had surgery July 5, 2011.
The second surgery? Nothing happened. No seriously. Nothing. Except that my first surgeon got scissor happy in my first operation, producing a painful neuroma (think of a spider web of nerves that becomes scrunched up in a huge ball living under your 3 inch scar). My body couldn't recover, so I found a new surgeon and had another operation January 17, 2013. This is the short version of the story as I battled hard and pretended that I had or would actually recover for 18 months before conceding to another anesthetic stint.
Flash forward to 6-months post-op of that second surgery. I could move! With very little pain, mind you! I regained my athleticism, my drive, and my muscle! I spent a year testing my former health, dedicating myself to workout routines, sports, and brace-free life. Let me tell you, if you've undergone surgery, gained 20 pounds, and then come out on the other side feeling fabulous, you're unstoppable. Pregnancy glow has NOTHING on post-ACL success.
The clear next step is obviously to join a Powder Puff charity football game. I was fighting Alzheimer's here. After about 3 months (give or take) of practices I was left feeling a) pretty badass at football and b) ridiculously immune to any type of injury as my body was durable and cooperative.
False. Regardless of durability and overall badass-ness, if you plant while sprinting one direction and someone yanks you in the opposing direction, items WILL tear. In this case, my (never before torn) left ACL and meniscus....5 days before the big game.
What's next? Surgery, obviously...after which I will emerge with missing hamstrings from both legs, 6 scars, and sheer determination to become a whole athlete again. That's right. You heard it right here. Stick around (or don't) to froth around in my ebb and flow of positivity and downright frustration as I battle the recovery once again.
Regardless, I will fancy you with my saturating and exciting journey to get you up to date with my latest and greatest failed knee. If you're lucky, you'll become enthralled with my tale and stay up to date on my future days as a recovering full-ligamented human.
This will be my 3rd knee surgery since 2011. After being a competitive basketball player, soccer player, and runner for 19+ years, my body decided to royally screw with me during my adult years. Very clever, life. You got me. The first tear? Recreational co-ed soccer. No one touched me. But I had the prettiest upper-V goal that the soccer gods rightfully decided that goal would, in fact, be the best shot of my career. So they ended me there. I had surgery July 5, 2011.
The second surgery? Nothing happened. No seriously. Nothing. Except that my first surgeon got scissor happy in my first operation, producing a painful neuroma (think of a spider web of nerves that becomes scrunched up in a huge ball living under your 3 inch scar). My body couldn't recover, so I found a new surgeon and had another operation January 17, 2013. This is the short version of the story as I battled hard and pretended that I had or would actually recover for 18 months before conceding to another anesthetic stint.
Flash forward to 6-months post-op of that second surgery. I could move! With very little pain, mind you! I regained my athleticism, my drive, and my muscle! I spent a year testing my former health, dedicating myself to workout routines, sports, and brace-free life. Let me tell you, if you've undergone surgery, gained 20 pounds, and then come out on the other side feeling fabulous, you're unstoppable. Pregnancy glow has NOTHING on post-ACL success.
The clear next step is obviously to join a Powder Puff charity football game. I was fighting Alzheimer's here. After about 3 months (give or take) of practices I was left feeling a) pretty badass at football and b) ridiculously immune to any type of injury as my body was durable and cooperative.
False. Regardless of durability and overall badass-ness, if you plant while sprinting one direction and someone yanks you in the opposing direction, items WILL tear. In this case, my (never before torn) left ACL and meniscus....5 days before the big game.
What's next? Surgery, obviously...after which I will emerge with missing hamstrings from both legs, 6 scars, and sheer determination to become a whole athlete again. That's right. You heard it right here. Stick around (or don't) to froth around in my ebb and flow of positivity and downright frustration as I battle the recovery once again.